tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81865402656515860512017-07-31T00:59:34.302-07:00BadCatRecordsScott Blackerbynoreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-57183891854413050442017-01-28T16:59:00.003-08:002017-01-28T16:59:51.722-08:00Trump's 'Extreme Vetting' Leaves Thousands Scrambling At Airports<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not particularly political, but this is not the America that I know and love. &nbsp;For the first time in my life I wrote my Governor and my Senators asking them to fight against this action.</span>Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-42720604376222907852016-11-06T04:37:00.001-08:002016-11-06T04:42:40.128-08:00SPHINX "JUDAS"<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AdB78duWcBc/WB8jqN6V0UI/AAAAAAAABTA/aghV-A1gw3keeZCDCgDY2Al9ZOS8FcirACLcB/s1600/BADCAT.2679.large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AdB78duWcBc/WB8jqN6V0UI/AAAAAAAABTA/aghV-A1gw3keeZCDCgDY2Al9ZOS8FcirACLcB/s1600/BADCAT.2679.large.jpg" /></a><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">Artist: Spinx</span></span></span><br /><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">Album; Judas</span></span><br /><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">Year: 1977</span></span><br /><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">Label: Raas</span></span><br /><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">Catalog: 2933 105</span></span><br /><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">Condition: VG+ cover / VG+ LP</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">I'll admit it - I'm addicted to buying interesting looking albums by bands I know nothing about. &nbsp; Most of the time they turn out to be crap, but once in awhile I stumble across something that's good, or at least interesting in a bizarre fashion.</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">Well, this one certainly fits the latter category.</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">Alec R. Costandinos started out as a singer, but enjoyed his initial international successes working with the band Aphrodite's Child and Vangelis in his solo career. &nbsp;By the mid''70s he was also dabbling in disco and with partner Don Ray made this bizarre album. &nbsp;Released in 1977 at the zenith of disco madness, "Judas" featured two side-long songs - "Judas Iscariot" and "Simon Peter," basically setting the story of Judas' betrayal of Christ.to a disco beat. The disco arrangement's aren't anything you haven't heard before (okay the Gregorian chants are a little out of the ordinary), but the theme ... well hard for me to picture coked out dance patrons shaking their <span style="color: white;">groove things to t</span><span style="color: white;">his o</span><span style="color: white;">ne.</span></span></span></span>Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-23013899712712367702016-10-25T19:22:00.003-07:002016-10-25T19:22:26.527-07:00EVER HAD A SONG CREEP INTO YOUR HEAD?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My father died about 20 years ago. &nbsp;He's buried in a small cemetery in Leesburg, Virginia. &nbsp;His grave is in the cemetery's older section, surrounded my a mixture of older and newer graves. &nbsp;Overlooking this section of the graveyard is a majestic, old Maple tree.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyhow, I had a physical this morning and after getting through it unscathed, I decided to take the day off. &nbsp;After doing a couple of other chores I suddenly decided to drive out to Leesburg to say hello and make sure his plot was clean. &nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was one of those wonderful Fall &nbsp;days. &nbsp;Bright blue skies; warm sunshine; green, green grass, and that Maple tree just beginning to change colors. &nbsp;Anyhow, as I was standing there trimming the grass around the grave James Taylor's 'September Grass' climbed into my head. &nbsp;It was the perfect soundtrack for the afternoon. &nbsp;Simply one of my favorite Taylor tunes:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7vsh-YZxFw">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7vsh-YZxFw</a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-840034669430356262016-10-01T18:06:00.000-07:002016-10-01T18:06:24.398-07:00ROCK'S WORST VOICES<span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">I writing this knowing full well I have no musical talents.&nbsp; After all, how many folks do you know who have been kicked out of seventh grade recorder band?&nbsp; </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">Against that backdrop I have zero credentials for criticizing other folks.&nbsp; 'Course that's not going to stop me from putting this list on the web.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"># 10 - Tony Bird</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">Bird's a white African born in<span style="color: black;"> <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">Malawi, living in New York.</span>&nbsp; He's recorded sporadically since the mid-'70s with a couple of obscure albums seeing an American release <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">(1976's "<u>Tony Bird</u>", 1978's "<u>Tony Bird of Paradise</u>", and 1990's "<u>Sorry Africa</u>").&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Imagine a mash-up of old Bob Dylan and "Graceland" era Paul Simon and you'll have a rough idea of what Bird sounds like.&nbsp; His voice is something else.&nbsp; Thin, dry, and nasally, he sings as if infected with a nasty lisp.&nbsp;&nbsp;His accent (apparently a mix of English and Afrikaans) makes it even harder to figure out what he's singing about (though the themes are often activist in nature related to his home country).&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">Admittedly the sound quality isn't particularly good and this is a live performance, but this clip from a 1983 performance at the <span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">Winnipeg Folk Festival will</span> give you a taste of Mr. Bird:&nbsp; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyJRQ2JWkEg">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyJRQ2JWkEg</a></span>Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-4431047222268217072016-09-26T14:09:00.001-07:002016-09-26T14:11:29.795-07:00WHEN YOU SEE THE UNFORTUNATE, WHAT'S THE ANSWER?<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px;">My wife will tell you I have the sensitivity and awareness of a brick. &nbsp; Usually she's right. &nbsp;I tend to be pretty oblivious to most things.</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px;">Anyhow, after seeing a photo reflecting how much weight I'd put on, for the last year I've made it a habit of trying to walk whenever I can. One of the places I'll walk is to my local library. It's about two miles each way so I'll put on my earbuds and listen to NPR, or a Pod episode while I make my pilgrimage.</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px;" /></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px;">Sunday I walked into a situation I'd never encountered before. I was a couple of blocks from the library and I saw a young woman sitting in a wheelchair in the middle of a side street. She looked bewildered and was in tears. Like a lot of people I tend to shy away from engaging with folks I don't know. In this case I was walking by her and stopped to ask what was happening and if there was anything I could do. The girl (her name was Haley), was probably in her early 20s. Long hair, pretty face, very quiet and demure. It turns out she and her boyfriend were staying in a Fairfax County shelter which happens to be located right next to the library. Her story was that she and the boyfriend had a massive fight and he stormed out of the shelter. She followed him in her wheelchair, but he started running and she couldn't keep up. When she finally stopped she discovered she didn't know where she was. That's when I crossed paths with her.</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px;" /></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px;">Even though she didn't realize it, Haley was only a block away from the shelter and so I told her I'd walk back with her. She was clearly upset by the episode so we didn't say a great deal during the walk. She wheeled herself along the sidewalk and I walked along with her and in five minutes we were back on familiar ground. As we were waiting to cross the street to get to the library and the shelter, I asked her what she was going to do. Her response was to text the boyfriend, but her phone had broken so she'd use one of the library computers. At that moment her chair was sitting in the middle of a busy library parking lot so I asked her to let me wheel her across the lot, up the handicap access ramp into the library. She agreed and that's what I did. Last I saw of her she was heading for the library computers. After I check out some new books I looked around, but she'd seemingly already left so I walked home.</span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">So now I'm wondering if there's anything else I could have done, or should have done for Haley .</span></span><span style="background-color: white;">..</span></span>Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-46531409634334766052016-09-24T15:51:00.002-07:002016-09-24T15:51:32.370-07:00HONEY LET'S GO TO A HOME IMPROVEMENT SHOW - NEVER AGAIN<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not sure why, but a couple of weeks ago we got a couple of free tickets to a home improvement show here in Northern Virginia. &nbsp;Given we've been thinking about undertaking some renovations we decided to check it out in the hopes of getting some good ideas and seeing some of the new materials and products available on the market.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This particular show is held at this gigantic old box store that's been converted into a site for all kinds of shows and conventions. &nbsp;You walk into the gigantic open space and there are literally a couple of hundred displays lined up into about a dozen aisles.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What we didn't expect was to be accosted by dozens of vendors and contractors looking to sell us everything from new windows, to some new brand of power drink, and everything in between. &nbsp;Insurance? &nbsp;LED lit shoes? &nbsp; Body massages? &nbsp; Candy? &nbsp; What in the world ? &nbsp;As we wanted up and down the displays we were literally attacked by desperate vendors anxious to give us an opportunity to save money on this product, or that product, while getting a chance to win $10,000, $100,000, a new car, an old car, a vacation, etc. &nbsp; And there was the sale material. &nbsp;You could turn around without some stuffing a sales brochure in your hands. &nbsp;As fast as people have me stuff I threw it into the garbage cans helpful placed at the end of each aisle.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most common approach seemed to be "Sign up for a chance to win xxx ..." or "So what's your next renovation effort?" &nbsp;We quickly discovered the way to disengage and move on was to tell them we were interested in tile. &nbsp;Most of the vendors weren't selling tile so they had no interest in us. &nbsp;On the couple of occasions we were confronted with tile dealers we said we were interested in pest control. &nbsp;Between those responses, walking in the center of the aisle, preferably behind older people, and keeping our eyes on the ground, we managed to navigate the last half of the show/obstacle course without too much pain.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here's where it got even stranger. &nbsp; There was a guy selling tile that looks like wood flooring. &nbsp;We're actually interested in putting it in our bathrooms. &nbsp;We wanted to find out more about the product - styles, colors, costs. &nbsp; The vendor had zero interest in us. Basically blew us off. &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good news is we were in and out of the place (including a bathroom break) in less than 45 minutes. &nbsp;Went to Old Town Alexandria for the rest of the day. &nbsp; Much more fun.</span>Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-4413252053407737422016-09-17T20:03:00.003-07:002016-09-18T16:31:36.280-07:00YES, I'VE BEEN PART OF THE KARDASHIAN PROBLEM<span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">A couple of weeks ago I discovered I was reading a Yahoo story about one of the Kardashians - something to do with one of them being fed up with a former basketball player husband. &nbsp;I guess there are a couple of them in that position. &nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">This evening I noticed that three of the top-40 banner articles on AOL are about the Kardashians. &nbsp;Pardon my language, but WTF? &nbsp;I'll admit they're all attractive, but I know next to nothing about them. They're famous for something, though I don't have a clue what it is, other than one has a butt that's insured for $1M, or something along those lines. &nbsp;I've never seen their television show(s). &nbsp;I've never bought any of their products.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">So as one of $330 million Americans, I'm done with the Kardashians. &nbsp;I don't care if the whole family shows up at my home naked and throwing hundred dollar bills at me. &nbsp;I'm not going to pay attention to anything that carries a Kardashian tag.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">There are simply too many other things going on in the world to waste my limited time on these folks.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">So my small, insignificant life is now officially Kardashian free.&nbsp;</span>Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-2720555792321862812016-09-04T07:59:00.002-07:002016-09-04T07:59:49.899-07:00A BEER FOR VINYLHOLICS<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Admittedly I'm not a beer snob. &nbsp;I tend to avoid brews that are flowery, or appear to be a fruit juice, rather than a real beer, but If it is cold, I'm liable to indulge. &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyhow, a couple of weeks ago a friend who knew about my vinyl addiction gave me a six pack of a product manufactured by the Great Lakes Brewing Company (Cleveland Ohio) - Turntable Pils (a Czech-styled Pilsner). &nbsp;I live in Virginia which probably explains why I'd never heard of it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5IRdkK797Dw/V8w2rDzJ2dI/AAAAAAAABNQ/GTp7I8ZwnwQQNy_ujiHGFhaQj0UKdExVQCLcB/s1600/BEER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5IRdkK797Dw/V8w2rDzJ2dI/AAAAAAAABNQ/GTp7I8ZwnwQQNy_ujiHGFhaQj0UKdExVQCLcB/s320/BEER.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyhow, the beer wasn't half bad - nice summer beverage. &nbsp;The label is the crowning glory. Perfect for any of you that suffer the same addiction I have. &nbsp;By the way, that was the last of the six pack. &nbsp;Will have to search around for some more.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-59289621135279237632016-02-03T17:28:00.001-08:002016-02-03T17:28:49.235-08:00AND YOU THOUGHT ONLY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WAS A MESS - AMAZON ISN'T FAR BEHIND<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have to admit I think Amazon is a pretty amazing company, but anyone who thinks the Federal Government is the only messed up organization is wrong. Amazon has more than its share of issues.<br /><br />So first let me tell you I have a small sellers account on Amazon where &nbsp;I sell used records albums. If you're under 30, there's a good chance you won't have a clue what an album is. Ask your parent, or grandparents about record albums. They'll tell you about the old, pre compact disc, or MP3 files world. Anyhow, I sell used albums. Most were pressed in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, well before the introduction of Universal Price Codes (those little black and white bar codes you see on virtually every product known to mankind).<br /><br />Back to Amazon. If you have a sellers account, when you add a new product to their sales inventory they want you to provide a UPC code, or something similar like an International Article Number (EAN) identifier. I fully understand the concept.&nbsp; Makes sense for a retailer to have that kind of product information.<br /><br />What happens for those millions of items that don't have UPC, or other codes ?&nbsp; Well for books you can ask Amazon for an exemption from the requirement. You fill out a short form; send it in, and when Amazon approves your request, if you go to sell an old book that doesn't have a&nbsp;UPC code, &nbsp;no problems. <br /><br />Well, just like books there are millions of pre-mid-'80s record albums that don't have a UPC code. Shouldn't be a big deal to get an exemption for old albums right? &nbsp; Wrong. Amazon will not grant you an exemption for records. Their suggestions are to buy UPC codes for older item.&nbsp; Now I'll readily admit I did not know you could buy UPC and EAN codes. Turns out there are a slew of companies that will sell them to you. A typical UIC code will cost you roughly $1.29 (I'm sure there are discounts it you buy lots of them at once). <br /><br />So Amazon wants me to pay an added fee to get a UPC code and the privilege of doing the work to add a new item to their inventory, in addition to the privilege of paying them the existing fees they collect on sales ... Maybe it's just me, but something doesn't seem right here. Am I going to pay $1.29 to get a UPC code for a used album that I bought for $2.00 and will sell for $10.00? I don't think so.<br /><br />So where's that leave me?&nbsp; Well from&nbsp;here on out&nbsp;I will only list albums that are already&nbsp; listed on Amazon since I won't need to worry about a UPC code for an existing item. That means the more obscure and expensive albums I own and would like to sell, will not be listed on Amazon. Those items will get listed on MusicStack, CD and LPs, and Discogs.&nbsp; Those companies will get their cuts of the sales, &nbsp;That means Amazon won't be getting their slice of the sales for those items. Not that Amazon cares one way or the other. Still,you've got to wonder. If they can't get this little thing right, what hope is there for the rest of the system?&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">And as for those helpful folks staffing Amazon's customer service group ...&nbsp;&nbsp; Ever had to talk to the IRS about a tax issue?&nbsp;&nbsp; Well, my experience with the IRS was more helpful than dealing with the Amazon folks.</span>Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-4578516789316047002016-01-26T17:53:00.000-08:002016-01-26T17:53:03.926-08:00WAS (NOT WAS) "KNOCKED DOWN, MADE SMALL (TREATED LIKE A RUBBER BALL)"<br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"><span style="color: black; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;;"></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"><span style="color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: small;">Knocked Down, Made Small (Treated Like a Rubber Ball)&nbsp;&nbsp; (Don Was - David Was) - 3:05</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span>&nbsp;<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VksoYcxWxwo/Vqgi0RHCqNI/AAAAAAAABIk/7g_InBhXnEI/s1600/WASnotWAS451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VksoYcxWxwo/Vqgi0RHCqNI/AAAAAAAABIk/7g_InBhXnEI/s320/WASnotWAS451.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>&nbsp;<div style="margin-bottom: -16px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">With Sweat Pea Atkinson handling the lead vocal, the soul-meets-rock mash-up results were staggering. I remember hearing the tune on the radio one afternoon and wondering who the world these guys were.&nbsp; I then saw the MTV video and was equally stunned.&nbsp; I may be way off target, but I always thought the tune was about spousal and child abuse and I remember the original MTV video (with some serious bad mid-'80s production work), having a plotline that seemed to support that contention.&nbsp; The video was subsequently edited deleting the abuse part of the story,&nbsp; </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Regardless of the song's intent, one of the classic '80s tunes.&nbsp; By the way, YouTube has both of the promotional videos: </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGgRipOH0nY "><span style="color: blue;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGgRipOH0nY&nbsp;</span></a><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nqKOFNA6dg"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nqKOFNA6dg</span></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: small;">The tune was tapped as a single:</span></span></span><br />&nbsp;<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">&nbsp; <u>7" format</u></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">- 1983's 'Knocked Down, Made Small (Treated Like a Rubber Ball)' b/w '<span class="tracklist_track_title" itemprop="name">Man Vs. The Empire Brain Building</span>' (Geffen catalog number <span>7-29407</span>)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">&nbsp; 12" format</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">- 1983's '<span class="tracklist_track_title" itemprop="name">Knocked Down, Made Small (Treated Like A Rubber Ball)' and 'Bow Wow Wow Wow' b/w </span>'Smile' and '<span class="tracklist_track_title" itemprop="name">Shake Your Head (Let's Go To Bed)</span>' (Geffen catalog number PRO-A-2079)&nbsp; </span><br /><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: -16px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"><span style="color: black;"></span>&nbsp;</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: -16px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"><span style="color: black;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></div></div>Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-3989899952797469792016-01-03T18:37:00.002-08:002016-01-03T18:42:23.637-08:00BETTYE CRUTCHER "UP FOR A LITTLE DOWN"<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wmvBuET5oeI/VonYBuyinjI/AAAAAAAABGE/52RkBrF-lrA/s1600/CRUTCHERbettye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wmvBuET5oeI/VonYBuyinjI/AAAAAAAABGE/52RkBrF-lrA/s1600/CRUTCHERbettye.jpg" /></a><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bettye Crutcher only recorded one album during her life and for some reason I thought I'd sold&nbsp;my a couple of years ago.&nbsp; Crutcher was better known as a songwriter, but she had a great voice and if you ever get a chance to buy it, pick up a copy of 1972's "Long As You Love Me".&nbsp; Anyhow, discovering I still had a copy of the album I decided to give it a spin to see if it was as good as I remember.&nbsp; For the most part it was.&nbsp;&nbsp; The one track I didn't remember being as good&nbsp;was 'Up for a Little Down'</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p>If you're a certain age (say your mid-'50s like me), then you're liable to have fond memories of some of the Bacharach-David tunes Dionne Warwick turned into mega hits.&nbsp; Admittedly many of their collaborations leaned to MOR, but it was quality MOR with hooks that were beyond reproach.&nbsp; Why am I mentioned this?&nbsp; Well this breezy tune could easily have come from the same source - if you've ever smiled when hearing 'Do You Know the Way To San Jose', or 'I Say a Little Prayer' you were liable to get the same feeling listening to this one.&nbsp; Another track where you had to wonder how Stax missed the ball.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Here's a YouTube link: </span><span style="color: white; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH2bSYz7S1E"><span style="background: white; color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH2bSYz7S1E</span></a></span></span><o:p></o:p></div></div>Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-4898601163977783412016-01-01T20:28:00.002-08:002016-01-03T18:38:53.155-08:00WEST "JUST LIKE TOM THUMB'S BLUES"<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cxd4DF3nM2A/VodRZL1L9FI/AAAAAAAABFM/OmZt0v8u350/s1600/BADCAT.200.large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cxd4DF3nM2A/VodRZL1L9FI/AAAAAAAABFM/OmZt0v8u350/s1600/BADCAT.200.large.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Funny how this one caught my attention ...&nbsp; Someone was interested in buying the parent&nbsp;album.&nbsp; I pulled it from the stacks, but they never followed up with payment.&nbsp; I was about to re-file it when I started looking at the liner notes and remembered the band's cover of this Dylan tune.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">While the Dylan original is a classic, West's&nbsp;version is simply one of the best unknown Dylan covers out there - almost as good as anything The Byrds ever did.&nbsp;&nbsp; They gave the tune a killer country-rock twang and the group vocals are breathtaking.&nbsp;&nbsp;When I hear this track it just oozes that unique mid-'60s vibe that is so special.&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">Here's a link to a YouTube clip: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTP9CU9_onk"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTP9CU9_onk</span></a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-62411698999443567222015-12-28T20:05:00.004-08:002016-01-01T20:29:01.831-08:00MATTHEW SWEET "BY HERSELF"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LoJz4ILDPVI/VoIHtn1TNKI/AAAAAAAABE0/jSq3jCVSSAQ/s1600/SWEETbertei.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LoJz4ILDPVI/VoIHtn1TNKI/AAAAAAAABE0/jSq3jCVSSAQ/s320/SWEETbertei.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">probably haven't listened to a Matthew Sweet album in ten years.&nbsp; I certainly haven't listened to&nbsp;Sweet's debut "Inside" in twenty years.&nbsp; So imagine how surprised I was to find it still in my collection and discover what an enjoyable&nbsp;album this 1986 release was.&nbsp; Yeah, the '80s production sound hasn't aged well, but most of the songs are great.&nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And parked in the middle&nbsp;of the album was Sweet's strange collaboration with no-wave starlet Adele Bertei - 'By Herself'.&nbsp;&nbsp;Geez, I didn't even remember the tune.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm still at a loss to figure how Sweet and Bertei managed to come up with a track that was as insidiously catchy as this one is.&nbsp;Strumming acoustic guitars, a hook that won't let go.&nbsp; Pumping bass ... &nbsp;Not only that, but Bertei and Valerie Simpson provide backing vocals !!!&nbsp; The stupid song has been bouncing in my head for three days.&nbsp; I may have to download it from iTunes.</span>Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-43822428215824596682015-12-25T04:10:00.001-08:002015-12-25T04:10:19.843-08:00MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL ...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A quiet Friday morning - 7 am and nobody else but the cat is up yet.&nbsp; Listening to Joe Walsh (strange Christmas choice), and reflecting on how lucky I have been.&nbsp; Wife and kids who I adore.&nbsp; Job I like.&nbsp; Physical comforts.&nbsp;&nbsp; I pray that someday everyone can have as much.</span>Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-48658685154668001932015-12-20T05:04:00.000-08:002015-12-20T05:04:04.017-08:00MAGICAL SONGS - LITTLE FEAT "EASY TO SLIP"<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every now and then I'll be focused on something else when a song will suddenly hit me out of nowhere.&nbsp; That experience hit me Saturday morning.&nbsp; I was on my way to mail some record albums and drop off Christmas cards for the Post Office staff (yeah, I spend way too much time at my local Post Office), when out of the blue Little Feat's 'Easy To Slip' came blaring out of the car speakers.&nbsp;&nbsp; Suddenly I wasn't a middle aged, overweight, balding member of the middle class, rather was in my 20s getting ready to go out and party.&nbsp;&nbsp; It only lasted a moment, but it was a breath of fresh air.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a19rK-05P4k/Vnam8dnemHI/AAAAAAAABCE/QIbRAKg_7gA/s1600/LITTLEfeateasy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a19rK-05P4k/Vnam8dnemHI/AAAAAAAABCE/QIbRAKg_7gA/s1600/LITTLEfeateasy.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">What a great song. Recognizable from the opening chords, it was&nbsp;worth hearing just for George's wonderful guitar - it sounds like an acoustic, but it was an electric with some strange effect slapped on it.&nbsp; The&nbsp;tune was one of the most commercial things the late Lowell George ever wrote (along with collaborator Martin Kibbee).&nbsp; The song was apparently Kibbee's idea, though George's name came first on the credits.&nbsp; </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><br /><div class="custom-fb-button"><span class="commentext"></span>&nbsp;</div>Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-31579319574672269812015-12-13T20:11:00.002-08:002015-12-17T20:13:20.274-08:00A TEN YEAR OLD'S PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE<span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">My 12 year old is a member </span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">of Boy Scout Troop 1018.&nbsp; We're not the biggest Troop in the area and we're not an Eagle production line.&nbsp; We're just kind of a middle-of-the-road&nbsp;Troop that puts the emphasis on the boys running the&nbsp;group and trying to ensure everyone has a good time.&nbsp;This weekend the troop held a training/recruiting event for local cub scouts.&nbsp; About 20 cub scouts showed up and under the "guidance" of our scouts they went through a series of "training" events (tying knots, fire safety, etc.) that got them their outdoorsmen merit badges.&nbsp; </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">The Boy Scout in Ryan's troop did a nice job of running the training, getting the 20 cub scouts from one place to another and even keeping the relatively engaged in the program.&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">Anyhow, one of my parental assignments was to take pictures of the event and while I was doing that I happened to be standing next to two of the young Webelos.&nbsp; They had apparently just come off of an overnight camping trip and weren't happy with one of their campmates - hearing one of them tell the other "players gonna play, play, play; haters are gonna hate, hate, hate, baby ..."&nbsp;just made me smile.&nbsp; What a great philosophy to live by.&nbsp; Taylor Swift would have been proud.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l84lOAeer8A/Vm5AjkcITJI/AAAAAAAABBI/JCWshod-E1k/s1600/1018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l84lOAeer8A/Vm5AjkcITJI/AAAAAAAABBI/JCWshod-E1k/s1600/1018.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">Go Troop 1018 !!!</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br />Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-36463616506725053902015-12-13T15:42:00.001-08:002015-12-20T05:04:57.854-08:00ELEVEN FAVORITE ALBUMS I LISTENED TO OVER THE LAST YEAR<span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">I probably listened to 200 albums over the last year.&nbsp;&nbsp; Admittedly most of it was '60s and '70s material (we tend to gravitate to material we grew up with), but there was one 2015 release - Charlie's ""Elysium"&nbsp;(which nobody in the world seems to have noticed).&nbsp; Moreover looking at the list I was surprised by how musically diversified the listing was.&nbsp; Classic rock, English folk-rock, soul, new wave, pop ...&nbsp; it is all represented here. &nbsp;Anyhow, here are the ten&nbsp;LPs that caught my eyes and ears; got played multiple times, and got at least four out of five stars on my rating list.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">They're in alphabetical order, rather than and other sequence.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"></span><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gR2u99ccsGs/Vm38QG5NSwI/AAAAAAAAA-w/YcgBzZSuD-k/s1600/BADCAT.1749.large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gR2u99ccsGs/Vm38QG5NSwI/AAAAAAAAA-w/YcgBzZSuD-k/s1600/BADCAT.1749.large.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">Madeline Bell "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" (1968)</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">An amazingly talented American singer who simply couldn't break out of the crowd of other talented mid-'60s African American singers.&nbsp; She headed for England where she made a name for herself, though in the States she remains best known as a back-up singer.&nbsp; Shame since Bell had everything needed to be a breakout star.&nbsp; Awesome LP that more people should be aware of.&nbsp; Review at: <a href="http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/BELLmadeline.htm">http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/BELLmadeline.htm</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4rVeW5dcUok/Vm38g5eEAmI/AAAAAAAAA-4/yD65QclYU1Y/s1600/BADCAT.2010.large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4rVeW5dcUok/Vm38g5eEAmI/AAAAAAAAA-4/yD65QclYU1Y/s1600/BADCAT.2010.large.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">Buffalo Springfield "Again" (1966)</span><br />Frankly I can't remember why I pulled this one out - I think it might have been related to the band reforming for a performance at the 2011 Bonnaroo festival.&nbsp; All I can say is I'd forgotten what a fantastic band the Springfield were before going down in a trail of personality conflicts and hate and discontent.&nbsp;&nbsp; There literally is not a bad song on this album.&nbsp; My review of the LP is found at: <a href="http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/BUFFALOspringfield.htm">http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/BUFFALOspringfield.htm</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s94YogdRcC4/VnOGwSJ9ToI/AAAAAAAABBw/B7dKv_frRPk/s1600/CHARLIElsium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s94YogdRcC4/VnOGwSJ9ToI/AAAAAAAABBw/B7dKv_frRPk/s200/CHARLIElsium.jpg" width="144" /></a><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">Charlie "Elysium" (2015)</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">Terry Thomas with help from a couple of friends and former Charlie members ...&nbsp;&nbsp; Reportedly the final Charlie release and if it is it captured Thomas a his angriest.&nbsp;&nbsp; Nobody and nothing gets out of this set unscathed and virtually every one of these 14 tunes was wrapped in a to-die-for rock melody.&nbsp;&nbsp; And virtually nobody knew the album was even released.&nbsp;&nbsp;Just a&nbsp;crime that Thomas and company did not become household names..</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Urgh581C-4/Vm381Ac3JPI/AAAAAAAAA_I/EnBgh119h4I/s1600/BADCAT.199.large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Urgh581C-4/Vm381Ac3JPI/AAAAAAAAA_I/EnBgh119h4I/s200/BADCAT.150.large.jpg" width="150" /></a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">Sandy Denny "Sandy" (1972)</span><br />I sold the three copies I owned and regretted it the minute the last one was gone.&nbsp; Simply her best solo effort and rivals her work with Fairport, Strawbs, etc.&nbsp;&nbsp; Worth the price of admission just for the stunning David Bailey album cover ...&nbsp;&nbsp; Review at: <a href="http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/DENNYsandy.htm">http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/DENNYsandy.htm</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JTMHpS71c10/Vm39gyseDiI/AAAAAAAAA_U/Zmo5zqDLs0c/s1600/BADCAT.2051.large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JTMHpS71c10/Vm39gyseDiI/AAAAAAAAA_U/Zmo5zqDLs0c/s200/BADCAT.2051.large.jpg" width="150" /></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">Fat Mattress "Fat Mattress" (1969)<br />Another album that took a long time to make an impact on me ...&nbsp;It was originally hyped for the fact Jimi Hendrix sideman/bassist&nbsp;Noel Redding was the founder and front man (well that was the theory behind the band).&nbsp; Anyone looking for a slice of Hendrix-styled psych will be disappointed.&nbsp; In fact this is one of those albums that's hard to accurate describe, but given a chance the collection's charms reveal themselves to a patient listener.&nbsp;&nbsp; Review at: <a href="http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/FATmattress.htm">http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/FATmattress.htm</a></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k-GesLYnDoA/Vm3_mjB9E3I/AAAAAAAAA_o/aFwbzI2zLFY/s1600/BADCAT.1723.large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k-GesLYnDoA/Vm3_mjB9E3I/AAAAAAAAA_o/aFwbzI2zLFY/s1600/BADCAT.1723.large.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">Agnetha Faltskog "A" (2013)</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">It only took me two years to discover I'd missed the release of this album - and I always considered myself to be a closet ABBA fan.&nbsp; Overlooking that criminal behavior I'll simply say "A" was the best post-ABBA release any of the four members have issued.&nbsp; If you are going to buy one post-ABBA collection, this is the one to go out and find.&nbsp; My review is at: <a href="http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/FALTSKOG.htm">http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/FALTSKOG.htm</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eFs4qtNZUb0/Vm4Ag3ipPqI/AAAAAAAAA_4/KmHngHhf0Yo/s1600/BADCAT.1994.large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eFs4qtNZUb0/Vm4Ag3ipPqI/AAAAAAAAA_4/KmHngHhf0Yo/s1600/BADCAT.1994.large.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">Van Morrison "Avalon Sunset" (1989)</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">Probably the biggest surprise (for me) on the list.&nbsp; When this originally came out I was totally bored by it.&nbsp; It seemed ponderous, plodding, and self-indulgent.&nbsp; Listening to it for the first time in decades I was dumbfounded by how far off the mark I was.&nbsp; One of Morrison's undiscovered gems.&nbsp; Review is at: <a href="http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/MORRISONvan.htm">http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/MORRISONvan.htm</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kk7i8O4SAZM/Vm4AvRbJ9qI/AAAAAAAABAA/IiIdAgjPqX8/s1600/BADCAT.1049.large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kk7i8O4SAZM/Vm4AvRbJ9qI/AAAAAAAABAA/IiIdAgjPqX8/s1600/BADCAT.1049.large.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">Otis Redding "Love Man" (1969)</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">You simply can't go wrong with an Otis Redding album and this was one of the posthumous collections that's been largely overlooked.&nbsp; Review at: <a href="http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/REDDINGotis.htm">http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/REDDINGotis.htm</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pGXg8BEx6IM/Vm4A6Pt7u4I/AAAAAAAABAI/YgA0s5dwawk/s1600/BADCAT.2011.large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pGXg8BEx6IM/Vm4A6Pt7u4I/AAAAAAAABAI/YgA0s5dwawk/s200/BADCAT.2011.large.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">Allen Toussaint "Southern Nights"</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">I'd owned this album for at least five years and simply never gotten around to listening to it.&nbsp; Anyhow, I pulled it out and was shocked at how good it was - soulful, but way more than that.&nbsp;&nbsp; Sadly, within a couple of weeks of having "discovered" this album, Toussaint passed on.&nbsp;&nbsp; My review can be found at:&nbsp;</span><a href="http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/TOUSSAINT">http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/TOUSSAINT</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NWk6FnfOAgs/Vm4BYGARCbI/AAAAAAAABAU/jP3EbCztcVo/s1600/BADCAT.2039.large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NWk6FnfOAgs/Vm4BYGARCbI/AAAAAAAABAU/jP3EbCztcVo/s200/BADCAT.2039.large.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">Was (Not Was) "Laughing At Tornados" (1983)</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">I remember playing this one while in college ...&nbsp; Sweet Pea Atkinson and Sir Harry Bowens had two of soul's finest voices and the were in full display on this LP.&nbsp; Anyhow, listening to the album for the first time since 1985&nbsp; I was surprised at how pleasant and innovative the collection was.&nbsp; Not everything on it is a homerun, but there are some dandy hits across the two sides.&nbsp; Review at: <a href="http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/WASnotWAS.htm">http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/WASnotWAS.htm</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H13qZ0sM8HA/Vm4CTyoAbLI/AAAAAAAABAc/lzQwGIK6u6s/s1600/BADCAT.1828.large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H13qZ0sM8HA/Vm4CTyoAbLI/AAAAAAAABAc/lzQwGIK6u6s/s1600/BADCAT.1828.large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H13qZ0sM8HA/Vm4CTyoAbLI/AAAAAAAABAc/lzQwGIK6u6s/s1600/BADCAT.1828.large.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H13qZ0sM8HA/Vm4CTyoAbLI/AAAAAAAABAc/lzQwGIK6u6s/s1600/BADCAT.1828.large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">&nbsp;</a><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">The Windows "Running Alone" (1987)</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">One of the best purchases I made this year - 50 cents at a yard sale.&nbsp; I had no idea who these guys were, but led by brothers Alan (drums) and Larry (vocals and guitar) Brewer, "Running Alone" offered up a wonderful collection that managed to mash-up AOR and new wave energy.&nbsp; It's one of those rare albums that gets better each time I hear it.&nbsp;&nbsp; Review at: <a href="http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/WINDOWS.htm">http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/WINDOWS.htm</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"></span><br />Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-29089910609375077172015-11-26T18:33:00.001-08:002015-11-26T18:35:49.983-08:00EMITT RHODES - BACK AFTER FOUR PLUS DECADES<span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">Now that&nbsp;I'm a senior&nbsp;citizen (anyone over 55), I&nbsp;seldom get excited about new music these days.&nbsp; Here's one of the few exceptions - Emitt Rhodes is recording his first new solo album since 1973.&nbsp;&nbsp; Emitt who?&nbsp; Well you can look him up at your convenience.&nbsp; I'll just say he recorded some of my favorite early-'70s albums and has been sorely missed</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SjdsVBEBgCg/VlfAxbOjx5I/AAAAAAAAA40/oW-PO_T-iXs/s1600/RHODESemittALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SjdsVBEBgCg/VlfAxbOjx5I/AAAAAAAAA40/oW-PO_T-iXs/s640/RHODESemittALL.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">Rhodes is raising money to record his comeback album and here's&nbsp;a link to a promotional YouTube video about the project: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwklFEv0Z68">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwklFEv0Z68</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">And here's a link to the website where you can pre-order the album in MP3, CD, or vinyl formats:&nbsp; <a href="http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/emittrhodes">http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/emittrhodes</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br />Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-60855038395277685192015-11-24T19:36:00.002-08:002015-11-24T19:36:51.331-08:00THE CUSTOMER IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT - SOMETIMES THEY ARE JUST A PAIN<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grading used records is part art, part science. A record can look brand new and have a pressing defect. A record can look like someone skated over it with sandpaper and still sound okay. Unless you literally listen to the whole album (paying attention), you can't be accurate in your descriptions. I make an effort to be a fair an accurate grader. I also have a guarantee on sales. If you're not happy with the condition you can sent the album back and I'll pick up the return media mailing costs.<br /><br />A couple of months back I sold an album to a person on Amazon. It wasn't a particularly expensive LP and it looked to be in good shape - it was a band I didn't particularly like so I'll admit I didn't play grade the album.<br /><br />Anyhow, I shipped it out and a couple of days later, without bothering to contact me, the seller poster the following feedback on Amazon:<br /><br />"Dude?! That record is scratched beyond listening! Sounds awful and skips every 10 seconds. Is this a joke? - Kyle"<br /><br />The same day I sent Kyle an email apologizing and telling him I would send a replacement album out that day. (Turns out&nbsp; I had a second copy of the LP, though I thought I'd shipped out the one in better condition.) &nbsp; I packed it up,&nbsp;shipped it out USPS priority with tracking, and waited ... and waited.&nbsp; I knew the LP got there since it was priority shipping. Finally after two weeks I sent the customer an email asking if he had received the replacement album.<br /><br />The response was "Yes I got it. I didn't know who it came from."<br /><br />Seriously?&nbsp;Are you&nbsp;the stupidest customer on Amazon?&nbsp; This person doesn't have the brains to realize the seller sent him a replacement ...&nbsp; He just thought a replacement album showed up out of the blue?&nbsp; Some generous soul took pity on him and shipped a copy to easy his pain?&nbsp; Anyhow, I pointed out I had shipped the replacement and asked if he was happy with the replacement.&nbsp; The answer was yes.&nbsp; Did he change his feedback?&nbsp; Of course not.&nbsp; Obviously there's little chance this moron is going to update his crappy feedback. On the other hand, if this person is that friggin' stupid, maybe I'm better off without any additional contact. Thank goodness this idiot is the exception to the rule. Hope his stylus cracks ...&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I can feel my blood pressure rising as I type this.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Serenity now ...&nbsp;&nbsp; LOL</span><br />Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-46647059563024317642015-11-13T19:10:00.004-08:002015-11-13T19:10:59.899-08:00I AM HEARTBROKEN<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LQZMisowNAE/VkamEei5-mI/AAAAAAAAA08/xXKVsik1gJI/s1600/FRENCHflag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LQZMisowNAE/VkamEei5-mI/AAAAAAAAA08/xXKVsik1gJI/s1600/FRENCHflag.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">11/13/2015</span></h2></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-66767493214957664202015-11-07T09:42:00.002-08:002015-11-07T09:43:13.098-08:00GERMAN GOURMET FALLS CHURCH VIRGINIA<span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">I don't use usually use my time to advertise&nbsp;on behalf of local&nbsp;companies, but I'll make an exception for German Gourmet.&nbsp;&nbsp;The&nbsp;store is small, nondescript and&nbsp;from Columbia Pike you are liable to miss it entirely since the&nbsp;entrance is on the side of the building.&nbsp;&nbsp; So don't let the exterior fool you.&nbsp; This place is amazing - everything German (except automotive items), you could ever want ... beer, wine, chocolate, meats, bakery good, magazines, and candy, candy, candy ... </span><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NV3v5uSdXWk/Vj43LZWSLhI/AAAAAAAAAvk/8IBlyWJneWE/s1600/GERMANgourmet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NV3v5uSdXWk/Vj43LZWSLhI/AAAAAAAAAvk/8IBlyWJneWE/s400/GERMANgourmet.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;">It's not big; imagine the size of a large living room, but I could spend hours poking around the place.&nbsp; Virtually everything the sell is interesting.&nbsp; The only downside is I spend way too much money with these folks.&nbsp;&nbsp; I'd actually paid off my credit card Friday evening and after visiting German Gourmet on Saturday morning I was back in debt to the tune of $120.&nbsp;&nbsp; Ah, but I have some great German beer in the fridge and a ton of German candy hidden away in the closet.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"></span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.germangourmet.com/"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">http://www.germangourmet.com/</span></a>Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-78861740069652484302015-10-19T21:12:00.001-07:002015-10-19T21:15:06.835-07:00ANOTHER TUNE THAT I CAN'T SHAKE - ERIC STEWART "FRIENDS LIKE THESE"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZ2yI-ztDeo/ViW-6uuvccI/AAAAAAAAAec/YouoeZKEd8k/s1600/STEWARTericVIVA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZ2yI-ztDeo/ViW-6uuvccI/AAAAAAAAAec/YouoeZKEd8k/s1600/STEWARTericVIVA.jpg" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> have to admit I didn't even know Eric Stewart had released another solo album until six years after the fact.&nbsp; I feel bad about it because I've always loved Stewart's material and "<u>Viva La Difference</u>" is a great solo collection.&nbsp; Great, but unfortunately all but unknown, though I've tried to do my part to spread the word:&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><a href="http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/STEWARTeric.htm"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://badcatrecords.com/BadCat/STEWARTeric.htm</span></a><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyhow, buried in the album you'll find the tune "Friends Like These".&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's what I originally had to say about the track: "Love the slinky slide guitar that opens the tune and kicks it along&nbsp; ...&nbsp;&nbsp; Slow builder with an almost hypnotic feel and one of the album's spotlight numbers.&nbsp;&nbsp; Months later this one is still bouncing around my head."</span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial;">Every word of that was true.&nbsp; The damn thing is still in rotation in my head.&nbsp; Stewart's almost lysergic delivery is truly hypnotic and that little slide riff is simply addictive.&nbsp;&nbsp; What do I have to do to get this one out of my head?</span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">And here's the YouTube link to the audio file: </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7PhHb4goU0"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7PhHb4goU0</span></a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-8721092075357491382015-10-04T03:07:00.002-07:002015-10-04T03:07:31.782-07:00BAD MANNERS AGAIN - SOUTHERNGARAGEBANDS WEBSITE<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunday morning and I was trolling around the internet looking for some information on an obscure album I'd bought the day before at a yard sale.&nbsp; Anyhow, I clicked on the southerngarageband website and happened to start reading a page on Rodney Justo.&nbsp; It was one of those strange experiences where the words sounded familiar.&nbsp;&nbsp; Sure enough, these guys seem to have "borrowed" parts of a write-up I'd done years ago on the Atlanta Rhythm Section.&nbsp;&nbsp; I know "borrowing" is a part of modern life.&nbsp; I've done it myself.&nbsp; The difference is I try to credit sources.&nbsp;&nbsp; These guys are pawning it off as their own original work.&nbsp;&nbsp; Seriously ...&nbsp;&nbsp; poor manners at best.&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Makes me wonder how much of their site is lifted from other sources.</span>Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-89093452105920213802015-08-14T17:10:00.002-07:002015-08-14T17:10:20.472-07:00SUE ME, SUE ME BLUES - A REGGAE STAR DECIDES TO SUE ME<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a pair of used Burning Spear LPs for sale on my website and listed on a couple of websites that specialized in used music.&nbsp; I've owned these albums&nbsp;for about a decade and simply don't like them enough to keep them.&nbsp; They're both pretty common , mainstream releases.&nbsp; I found them at yard sales, but with a little bit of effort, anyone could find a copy with 10 or 20 minutes of research.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rhMduaAWDoo/Vc6DUYCgJII/AAAAAAAAAc8/repqKeKxI_0/s1600/BURNINGspear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rhMduaAWDoo/Vc6DUYCgJII/AAAAAAAAAc8/repqKeKxI_0/s320/BURNINGspear.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyhow, out of the blue I got this threatening email from the artist:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><em>Burning Spear Copyright and Trademark Infringement Notice. <br /><br />Re : Cease And Desist - Burning Spear - Catalog. <br /><br />To Whom It May Concern, <br /><br />This office of Winston Rodney professional known as “Burning Spear’ It has come to our <br />attention that Bad Cat Record (You) are currently distributing and other wise exploiting <br />Burning Spear entire catalog on your websitehttp:Musicstaack. The work including many <br />unauthorizes releases Burning Spear People Of The World and other illegally manufactures <br />singles. Please be advised that Mr Rodney at no time granted any entity, including you, the <br />rights to create is entire Catalog (or any other physical reproduction) of any of his work you <br />have listed. Accordingly ,you, your designees and affiliates have no right whatsoever to <br />exploit the Work in any manner. Your exploitation of the work constitutes an infringement of <br />Burning Spear rights, including copyright infringement under Title 17 of the United States <br />Code and appropriation of Burning Spear Likeness in violation of his rights under the law <br />World wide. <br /><br />Base on the foregoing. Burning Spear demand that you immediately cease &amp; desist from any <br />further exploitation or other use of the work. Demand is further made that you account to us <br />for all sales of the Work and provide the name (s) and contact information for third party <br />distributor (s) that have utilized to distributor the Work. <br /><br />If you fail to comply with the aforesaid demands, then please be advised that Burning Spear <br />will take any and all action necessary or appropriate in the circumstances to vigorously <br />enforce his rights and remedies at law or in equity. Without limiting the foregoing, to the <br />extent you have knowledge of the facts set forth herein and fail to comply with the demands <br />set forth herein we intend to seek any and all punitive damages available as the result of <br />your actions undertaken in bad faith in connection with this matter. <br /><br />Nothing contained herein or omitted here from shall constitute an admission of any facts or <br />a waiver of any of Burning Spear rights or remedies, whether at law or in equity, all of which <br />are hereby expressly reserved. See you and your illegal partners in Courts all over the world. <br />Artist have rights too. <br /><br /> Very truly Yours <br /> Winston Rodney Aka Burning Spear</em></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what to make of it?&nbsp;&nbsp; I guess I can understand an artist wanting to protect&nbsp;their rights.&nbsp; On the other hand, we're talking about a pair of $10 used LPs.&nbsp; These are not bootlegs, nor am I pressing and releasing illegal copies of the man's work.&nbsp;&nbsp;While I'm not a lawyer,I'm pretty sure that I'm protected by the first use doctrine.&nbsp;&nbsp;You also have to wonder if any lawyer would really waste their time and effort going after $20?&nbsp;&nbsp; You can only hope they have bigger fish to fry.</span>Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8186540265651586051.post-33469734135077785752015-08-08T06:45:00.002-07:002015-08-08T06:45:14.324-07:00POLITICS<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not very political, but having watched the initial Republican debate, all I can say is Gawd help us since the ten candiates&nbsp;seemed collectively determined to&nbsp;let the Democrats&nbsp;run the country for another four years.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Donald Trump leading&nbsp;the polls?&nbsp; I'm thinking&nbsp;a lot of folks must be in on some sort of private joke.&nbsp; Remember the playground bully back in grade school.&nbsp; The kid who came from a dysfunction family; had all the personal problems and tried to solve them by taking his anger and frustration out on the people around him - yeah I'm thinking there are some major similarities here.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wW99ghS6T8E/VcYHQtjUCEI/AAAAAAAAAck/qD4XXTWshWQ/s1600/TRUMP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wW99ghS6T8E/VcYHQtjUCEI/AAAAAAAAAck/qD4XXTWshWQ/s320/TRUMP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyhow, I have to admit it was fun&nbsp;watching Megyn Kelly kick&nbsp;Trump's butt.&nbsp; She's certainly smarter and better looking than the Donald.&nbsp;&nbsp; Come to think of it, maybe she should be running for President.</span>Scott Blackerbyhttps://plus.google.com/101817347345994828369noreply@blogger.com0